That question has been around for a long time. As a child in fifth grade, I remember my class discussing the problem. (And in those days, we burned our garbage in old metal oil drums in the back alley - so there was less of it. The truck only picked up the ashes!)
What will we do if we run out of room for garbage dumps? our teacher had asked us.
We can send the garbage into outer space, one imaginative student suggested. There is lots of empty room out there!
We had all laughed - pleased at having found the perfect solution!
But now, all these years later, we are still grappling with the problem! (The our space option hasn't worked!)
Which is why I'm happy our city has an active recycling program.
We have BLUE BINS for plastic and glass (picked up every two weeks).
BLACK BINS for paper and cardboard...
And our most recent addition, GREEN BINS for kitchen scraps that decompose or can be burned.
Yard waste (tree branches and leaves) are picked up during the summer months, though they can also go into the GREEN BINS, if they fit. They are composted - and people can buy the compost back from the city.
I'm a great supporter of RECYCLING... so it does make me sad that we no longer recycle plastic bags... or Styrofoam. (Isn't Styrofoam plastic too?)
What worries me is that - if we are no longer sending "healthy garbage" to the dump - by that I mean food and paper which decompose - aren't we creating a very toxic plastic mountain with the rest?!
(Is there a fifth-grader out there with an answer?!)
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